Press release from SPAA
The Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) has announced that Nigel A. Dick AM will deliver the prestigious Hector Crawford Memorial Lecture on the Conference’s opening morning on Monday, 14 November at the Hilton in Sydney.
Nigel Dick is a former Chairman of HSV 7, Southern Cross Communications and Chief Executive of GTV 9, TCN 9 and the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand. His extraordinary career as a media executive, consultant and director has spanned over 50 years with media companies, public companies and charities.
“SPAA is honored to have Nigel Dick deliver this year’s Hector Crawford Memorial Lecture. Nigel has been a part of the television industry since day one, when Bruce Gyngell welcomed Australians to the new medium. He has been a part of the development of television since and remains a major voice in the industry. Nigel has the unique perspective of both the broadcaster and independent producer and is ideally placed to talk about the new convergent landscape,” said SPAA executive director Geoff Brown.
Nigel Dick has been an integral part of Australia’s rich media history and worked in the media industry since 1948. Born in the United Kingdom, Nigel immigrated to Australia as a 12 year-old following WW2 and became an Australian citizen in 1949. Between 1956 and 1988, a time of huge change in broadcasting, Dick worked in several companies as a television and radio executive and saw first hand the evolution of the industry in Australia.
During a long and distinguished career Nigel Dick has worked at the highest levels of the Australian television industry in executive roles with the Networks as well as Federal Councillor of the Federation of Australian Commercial Television Stations (FACTS), and Director of and consultant to Crawford Productions Pty Ltd., Deputy Chairman and founding board member of the Victorian Film Corporation (now Cinemedia); Assistant Managing Director of Television Corporation Ltd (now Nine Network), and Director of Television and Broadcasting for the Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, to name just a few.
He has also made an exceptional contribution as a volunteer with a number of charities. In 1979, he was instrumental in establishing Odyssey House in Victoria, a residential rehabilitation program for people with a drug and alcohol addiction. He has been a board member for 30 years and was chairman for 22 of those years.
Nigel has also served on numerous boards including Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) Ltd, Honorary founding Director and Chairman since 1981 of Odyssey House, Victoria as well as the National Drugs Partnership. He has received numerous commendations including a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1994 for “Services to Media, in particular television, and the community”, the Prime Minister’s 2007 Award for Excellence and Outstanding Contribution in Drug and Alcohol Endeavour, and Senior Australian of the Year in 2010, principally for his work with Odyssey House Victoria. He is also a life member of a number of charities.